Gift From the Heart, a small local charity which offers basic dental care to people who cannot afford it, has received national recognition.
The organization now coordinates a Canada-wide National Day of Giving, helping people across Canada with dental offices around the country agreeing to provide free services to those in need.
The recognition comes as the organization mourns the loss of Ms. Sonia Caceres, a dental hygienist and committed volunteer who passed away on June 22.
“What we’ve built here in Belleville-Trenton is now a model for all of Canada,” said Deputy Executive Director Kareen McKinnon. “Dental offices from Vancouver to Halifax participate in our National Day of Giving because they see what’s possible when a community refuses to let neighbours suffer.”
Every dollar received as a donation is used directly to treat people in crisis. Some of those helped by the organization are minimum-wage workers, unhoused individuals, and families already struggling to survive.
